Lost: StarClan's Great Journey
by EfinityFabala
Summary: Where was StarClan on the Great Journey of the Clans? Join the four great founders of the forest as they bicker, debate, and share grief for their home...
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you for opening my first fanfiction story ever!! Enjoy yourself as you join the four great founders of the Clans, of whom I am a huge fan! **

_We join the StarClan cats, old and new, in the skies above the old forest._

_Wiry, hot-tempered Windstar is sitting on a patch of grass, glaring at her paws._

_Dark, quiet Shadowstar and long-furred, gentle Riverstar are perching on the same log. Wise, strong Thunderstar is sitting silently a few tail-lengths away._

Windstar:This is _so_ messed up!  
Shadowstar:How could we have allowed this to happen?

_Riverstar sighs and shakes his silver head._

Riverstar:Perhaps it is for the best.  
Windstar: Are you crazy?! Everything is _ruined_!

_Thunderstar steps in, his bright ginger fur and wide shoulders giving him a commanding presence._

Thunderstar:Windstar, flatten your fur. At least the Clans are still together.  
Shadowstar:Yes, that's true.  
Windstar: But they are leaving their home! Is this okay with everyone but me?!  
Riverstar:No, of course not. We're all upset.  
Windstar:Then start acting like it!

_Riverstar growls deep in his throat. His claws slide out._

_Windstar mimics his stance. _

_Riverstar lets out a yowl and pushes off from his log with powerful legs. Windstar dodges him. He lands and whirls around, to find her poised to leap. She bowls him over, but just as she raises a claw-ridden forepaw, Thunderstar grabs her scruff and tosses her away like a limp piece of fresh-kill! Riverstar stumbles to his paws, his silvery fur muddy._

Thunderstar:No! We must not fight amongst ourselves. We are all the Clans have, now. They need us to be strong.  
Windstar: I'm sorry. I don't know if I can do that.

_Windstar hangs her head and flattens her ears_

_It is not often that pig-headed Windstar admits to weakness. The destruction of the forest has taken its toll on even the most ancient StarClan warriors._

_Riverstar awkwardly pads up to the WindClan leader. He rests his feathery tail on her shoulder._

Shadowstar: You are the heart of WindClan, Windstar. Without you, they crumble into dust and bone. Even if they do not realize it, you are the one that keeps them going, especially in death. Do you want them to fall?

_The dark she-cat had intended to motivate Windstar. Instead, the wiry, dusky brown she-cat looks up at Shadowstar with a dangerous glare in her eyes._

Windstar:How dare you suggest that I would let WindClan down!?

_Shadowstar flattens her ears indignantly._

Shadowstar:I was only trying to—  
Riverstar:Friends, please, settle down! We will only solve this problem with joint strengths.  
Thunderstar:He is correct. The cats who traveled to the sun-drown-place did all that they could. They saved the Clans. We should be grateful.

_The other three leaders mumble their agreement._

Windstar:I am proud of Crowpaw. He proved himself a strong, worthy young cat.  
Riverstar:Yes, I am proud to have Stormfur and Feathertail in my Clan.  
Feathertail:Did I hear my name?

_The beautiful RiverClan she-cat pads up to the great founders._

_The four great cats dip their heads in greeting. Feathertail returns the gesture, deep respect in her eyes_.

Thunderstar:Yes, we are all proud of our young heroes.  
Feathertail:Thank you. I only regret leaving the Clan that I loved so much.  
Shadowstar:The Tribe will be forever grateful for your sacrifice, I am sure.

_Riverstar rolls his eyes. He resents the waste. Feathertail's life had belonged to RiverClan. In his opinion, that wretched Tribe's issues had taken it away unjustly._

_Windstar impatiently digs her claws in the soil._

Windstar:Back to the matter at paw!  
Riverstar:But the great migration of the Clans is not an option. It is inevitable!

_Windstar rolls her eyes._

Windstar:Says you!  
Shadowstar:Riverstar is correct! We cannot prevent it. The Twolegs have already destroyed Fourtrees.

_The three other leaders and Feathertail gasp. They had not known of this!_

Feathertail: Oh, no!  
Thunderstar:What?! Did you see this happening? Speak, Shadowstar!  
Shadowstar:I was watching last night. The monsters invaded the forest and uprooted the great oaks. They shoved the Great Rock over on its side. It cracked like mouse bones.  
Riverstar:It cannot be so!  
Windstar:Are… are you certain?  
Shadowstar:Of course I am, you fools! I know what I saw. If you refuse to believe me, perhaps you will believe your own eyes…

_The dark she-cat led the way out of the heavens. _

_Windstar and Thunderstar followed immediately. _

_After a worried glance at Riverstar, Feathertail follows. They fade out of Riverstar's view, leaving trace amounts of stardust in their wake. _

_The silver tom is reluctant to see the havoc that had clearly been wreaked upon the sacred Gathering place. _

_Eventually, he puffs out his chest and told himself, Be a tom! Then he closes his eyes and fades out of the heavens, in pursuit of his fellow leaders…_

***Sigh* Thank you for reading! Plz R&R. Flames would make me sad  but at least they would be honesty. Hope you enjoyed!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**We join the StarClan cats as they stare in horror at Fourtrees.**

Thunderstar: No!

_The five cats are sitting on the edge of the ancient clearing. It has the chill of a graveyard._

_Broken branches are sprawled everywhere. Leaves litter the ground. There are monster tracks in the ground, as if the Twolegs want to add insult to injury._

_Worst of all, the Great Rock lies on its side, cracked down the middle. It is hardly recognizable. The moonlight shines down upon it, turning it silver. Its former glory can be glimpsed by those who had stood upon it and felt the thrill of being a warrior._

_Windstar pads up to it, her limbs stiff._

_The air feels frigid, but she cannot remember if it was really leaf-bare in the forest, or if the chill is the death of a great home._

_She prods it with one small paw, her eyes widening in spite of themselves. The stone is so cold. She draws back and sits, still as a tree trunk. She bows her head as a sign of mourning._

Riverstar:This is so wrong…

Shadowstar:The Clans will never be the same.

_Thunderstar is staring at his paws, his face drawn and thoughtful._

Thunderstar:But the warrior code lives on.

_Shadowstar feels numb. She is not sure whether she understands Thunderstar's meaning._

Shadowstar:What are you talking about?

Thunderstar: In every Clan kit. In every soul. They will survive.

_Without looking up, Thunderstar raises his tail and rests it on Shadowstar's shoulder._

_Shadowstar looks at the ginger tail, her eyes slightly confused and disbelieving._

Riverstar:Well, that's that.

Shadowstar:You're right. Time to move on.

_Shadowstar stands up. Thunderstar's tail falls off of her shoulder._

_The flame-colored leader looks up at her. His rumbling voice seems even lower than usual, with an ominous ring._

Thunderstar:Let us go, then.

Shadowstar: Windstar?

_Riverstar stands and pads silently up to the WindClan leader, who has been sitting and staring silently at the Great Rock throughout the conversation of her fellows._

_His muzzle is very close to her ear. His voice is but a whisper._

Riverstar:Let's go.

_Throughout this tangle of emotions—half of those emotions being shock and grief—no cat notices that Feathertail has faded away…_

_

* * *

_

Feathertail streaks through the sky.

_StarClan has not yet left the skies of the old forest, so these paths were clear. She is searching for the Clans, who are on their own so far, without the comfort of their ancestors._

Feathertail:I hope the leaders get over their shock soon. Grief is understandable, but they cannot abandon their kin. The Clans need them.

_Silverpelt is still visible from where Feathertail is, but their light is directed solely at the dead forest. Feathertail knows this. She knows that her living kin are alone, for now._

Feathertail:I'm coming, Stormfur. I'm coming, Crowpaw. I'm coming, Graystripe…

_She lists the names of her loved ones to grant her strength… Bluestar paces in StarClan's hunting grounds. The four great founders have returned, grief-stricken and hollow-eyed. Bluestar cannot believe that she has to motivate her heroes._

Bluestar:Thunderstar, please! We must follow them! We must leave this place. It is crawling with Twoleg scum. It is not our home any longer.

Thunderstar:Dear Bluestar, I know that. I understand your urgency. It is just so hard…

Bluestar:There is no time for mourning! Not here, not now! The Clans need us. Firestar needs me.

_Thunderstar's eyes have never been so dim._

Thunderstar: Very well. A great leader covers his emotion with strength! We shall leave this Twoleg-ridden place!

Bluestar:Yes!

Stonefur:Bluestar, how will we assemble every single StarClan cat?

_Bluestar looks at her son with a longing that never really left, even when they were reunited in death. Even after he accepted her as his mother. She still regrets…_

Thunderstar:Leave that to us, brave RiverClan warrior.

_The other three leaders are huddled together nearby, conversing quietly and shaking their heads. Thunderstar looks at them and sweeps his tail up in a smooth motion. They all know what this means._

_They all leap to their feet and hurry into a line, shoulder to shoulder. Bluestar and Stonefur back away until they are at a respectful distance._

Riverstar: CATS… OF… STARCLAN!

Windstar:JOIN… YOUR… LEADERS!

Thunderstar:ASSEMBLE, O STARCLAN WARRIORS!

Shadowstar:AND LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR LEADERS SAY!

_Bluestar gasps. She whispers her realization to Stonefur, momentarily forgetting her unexplained fear of talking to him._

Bluestar: The ancient ritual! This is how they gather to greet a new leader. I should have known…

_Every cat in StarClan appears, some individually, some in groups, all eagerly watching the founders' faces, all waiting for an answer._

_Thunderstar sighs and looks at the other three. They all nod at him to go forward._

_Thunderstar sighs and raises his tail._

Thunderstar:We have suffered a grave loss, my friends… a grave loss, indeed. Our living have departed from the forest.

Windstar:They are headed for a new territory.

Riverstar:Friends, do you know of the fate of the Great Rock? And Fourtrees?

_There was a tight silence._

_Shadowstar jumps to her paws._

Shadowstar:It has been destroyed! The Twolegs are destroying the forest that we all called home!

_StarClan cried out in unison. The meows of the tiniest kit and the oldest elder, of the expectant queen and the young warrior, of RiverClan, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and Windclan… all protest together._

_Thunderstar does not bother with gestures, this time._

Thunderstar:SILENCE, friends! Now is the time to cry in your hearts. Now, we must ACT!

_StarClan bellowed their agreement._

Riverstar:We shall follow our dear living.

Windstar:We shall find our new home.

Shadowstar:And wait for them. If they feel our presence in the place that is destined to be their new territory, we will have done our job…

Thunderstar:We will protect our living!

StarClan:YES! Let us protect them!

_Bluestar purred so loud that Stonefur was sure that it would drown out the yowls of the rest of StarClan._

_They were on their way._

**I kind of want to ditch the intenseness and attempt for something hilarious like **_**When Firestar Ate Someone**_** by redstar-leader-of-thunderclan. But whatever I'll just keep going with this one if I get reviews…**


	3. Chapter 3

Feathertail:CROWP—

_Shush! she scolded herself. Do not alarm him. You must do this calmly and maturely…_

_Ooh, but it was so indescribably __good__ to see him again!_

_The Clans were all sleeping in a small patch of forest, a far stretch from their former home. They had not, however, gone as far as Feathertail had feared._

_Crowpaw was so easy to find. Even in the dark of night, his equally dark shape stuck out like the first red leaf in leaf-fall… at least, to her._

_Streamkit, she thought. I would have named our kit Streamkit…_

_But even when she was mouse-lengths away from his face, she could not bring herself to rouse him and speak to him._

Feathertail: Sleep soundly, my dear Crowpaw. I love you, but please, do not let me hold you back. I would hate to hold you back from life with another. I hope someday I will be strong enough to say this to your face.

_Crowpaw twitches in his sleep. His tail flicks in a way that reminds her of a certain morning on the journey. She had stumbled over a sharp rock. He had gasped with concern._

"_Oops," she had said. "I'm fine."_

"_Be careful!" he had warned, his tail flicking tensely, such a simple gesture. It might even have been meaningless. But it meant the world to Feathertail._

Silverstream:Feathertail?

Feathertail:Silverstream, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here on my own.

Silverstream:I understand why you did. It seems that forbidden love runs in the family. There was your father and I… Stormfur and the tribe cat…

Feathertail:Brook.

Silverstream:Right, right, Brook. And then there is you and this small WindClan apprentice.

Feathertail:His name is—

_Silverstream licked her kit between the ears._

Silverstream:I know, love. Crowpaw. Let me share this piece of insight with you. He will take your name when he becomes a warrior.

Feathertail:I do not understand.

Silverstream:He will be Crowfeather, in your honor, my dear.

_Feathertail has no words for her joy and sadness._

_Then a sound that only StarClan cats can hear reaches the mother and daughter._

Silverstream: They are coming! The whole of StarClan are coming at last!

**Yes, that was short but it was to add some suspense… R/R, friends**


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